1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a weather forecasting system for forecasting atmospheric phenomena such as the weather, a snowfall, etc. based on arboreal sounds.
2. Description of the Related Art
Heretofore, it has been customary to predict changes in atmospheric phenomena such as atmospheric states and various atmospheric conditions including rain, wind, thunder, etc. by analyzing a weather map or analyzing the movement of a rainy region obtained by a weather radar.
However, the above predictive methods make it difficult to predict atmospheric phenomena in a local region.
It has been the conventional practice to predict a snowfall by determining an approximate predicted amount based on a long-term prediction of atmospheric phenomena.
However, there has not been established a process of accurately predicting a snowfall in a local region.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for and a method of forecasting atmospheric phenomena in a local region and obtaining accurate forecast results.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for and a method of forecasting a snowfall in a local region and obtaining accurate forecast results.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a weather forecasting system which is capable of forecasting atmospheric phenomena in a wide geographical region and obtaining accurate forecast results.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for forecasting the weather, comprising arboreal sound measuring means for measuring a sound propagated through a tree, and weather forecasting means for forecasting atmospheric phenomena based on a change in the sound measured by the arboreal sound measuring means.
The change in the sound comprises a time-dependent change in a sound pressure of the sound.
The weather forecasting means comprises means for predicting the start of a rainfall if a drop of the sound pressure is confirmed, and predicting the end of a rainfall if a rise of the sound pressure is confirmed.
The apparatus for forecasting the weather is relatively simple in arrangement, and is capable of forecasting atmospheric phenomena in a local region and obtaining accurate forecast results.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a method of predicting the weather, comprising the steps of measuring a sound propagated through a tree, and forecasting atmospheric phenomena based on a change in the measured sound.
The above method is of forecasting atmospheric phenomena in a local region and obtaining accurate forecast results.
According to still another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus for forecasting a snowfall comprises arboreal sound measuring means for measuring a sound propagated through a tree along the height of the tree, and snowfall forecasting means for forecasting a snowfall based on a change along the height of the tree in the sound measured by the arboreal sound measuring means.
In the above apparatus, the change along the height of the tree in the sound comprises a change in a sound pressure of the sound along the height of the tree.
The snowfall forecasting means comprises means for forecasting a position where a positive peak of the sound pressure along the height of the tree occurs as a predicted maximum snowfall.
The apparatus for forecasting a snowfall is relatively simple in arrangement, and is capable of forecasting a snowfall in a local region and obtaining accurate forecast results.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of forecasting a snowfall comprises the steps of measuring a sound propagated through a tree along the height of the tree, and forecasting a snowfall based on a change along the height of the tree in the measured sound.
In the above method of forecasting a snowfall, the change along the height of the tree in the sound comprises a change in a sound pressure of the sound along the height of the tree, and the step of forecasting a snowfall comprises the step of forecasting a position where a positive peak of the sound pressure along the height of the tree occurs as a predicted maximum snowfall.
The method of forecasting a snowfall is capable of forecasting a snowfall in a local region and obtaining accurate forecast results.
According to yet still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a weather forecasting system comprising arboreal sound measuring means for measuring a sound propagated through a tree, a plurality of weather forecasting apparatus for forecasting atmospheric phenomena based on a change in the sound measured by the arboreal sound measuring means, and a data collecting and processing device connected to the weather forecasting apparatus by a network, for forecasting atmospheric phenomena in a wide geographical region.